A Michigan middle school teacher says he resigned on November 22 following multiple orders from school officials to remove a pride flag from his classroom.
Former seventh-grade health teacher Russell Ball says an initial email telling staff members to remove pride flags came from Three Rivers Middle School Principal Jason Bingaman on the morning of Friday, November 19, WWMT reported. The former health teacher says he left the flag up.
The following Monday, on November 22, he says the principal sent another email again telling staff to take down pride flags, according to WWMT.
According to WWMT, one of the emails reads as follows, though it is unclear if it was the first or second email:
Due to an external challenge in the district that has reached the board level, I have been advised that staff in the building who have pride flags hanging in their rooms will need to take them down until further notice. Mrs. Nash will be on a call today with Thrun Law Firm to get guidance for us, and by the end of the day should have details. Please understand that while I may personally stand behind you and your stance to have the flags up, this is something that I have to do until things get cleared up through Mrs. Nash. Please make sure this is taken care of before kids come in to your class today.
Ball says he again neglected to take his flag down, which prompted the principal to text him directly, notifying him to remove the flag by the fourth hour of the school day, WWMT reported.
“That’s when during my third-hour plan period, I packed my stuff up and tendered my resignation,” said Ball, per WWMT.
Ball, who is reportedly bisexual according to WTKR, posted a TikTok video following his resignation:
I was already feeling a high level of teacher burn out, and struggling to meet the day-to-day demands of the education field. But when administration came around and told me I had to take down my pride flag, I told them no. I was not going to be an active participant in the suppression and oppression of an already marginalized group that I’m a part of.
@russellballertoday I resigned as a teacher. #resignation #teacher #pride
Ball says he hopes to set an example for his five children and students by forfeiting his job, WWMT reported:
I hope they take away the belief that – the understanding that there are convictions and beliefs we have that are worth fighting for, and sometimes the loss comes at a price. But it’s worth it in the end to stand up for what you believe in and stand up for marginalized populations that may not have a voice of their own.
He says he has not communicated with the district since he resigned, according to WWMT. The former teacher stated he was considering leaving following the initial notice and apparently told students about the email.
“They understood what the flag means to me and to the students within the school,” Ball said, per WWMT. “One of the class periods went as far as cheering and clapping when I told them that.”
Principal Bingaman and Interim Superintendent Nikki Nash shared a notice to the school district’s website following the resignation. The document reads in part:
We write in response to a recent news story involving pride flags in District classrooms and whether an after school club was following Board policy. On November 18, 2021, an external party contacted the Board of Education, Middle School Principal, Jason Bingaman, and Interim Superintendent, Nikki Nash, questioning information shared within the school day which also included an inquiry of the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) after school club and pride flags within Three Rivers Middle School (TRMS) classrooms. TRCS gathered information from the external party and had internal discussions with school officials regarding the matter. In addition, Thrun Law Firm was consulted concerning these two issues.
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In regard to the pride flags that were displayed in the classroom, they were temporarily removed from each classroom until the Board of Education could carefully review this matter and gather additional facts. Information was shared with the TRCS Board of Education and Mr. Bingaman, who then passed this guidance on to the TRMS staff in the form of an email.
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As we move forward, we are committed to providing a safe learning environment for all students and staff of TRCS. As previously noted in other statements regarding this matter, the Board of Education will consider these issues at their next meeting on December 6, 2021.
An alumnus from the school district and a high school junior are organizing a protest that will take place before the December 6 school board meeting, WWMT reports.